The Thorn on a Rose
by ChihiroAyasato
Summary: Phoenix sneaks out to visit Iris, who is now a permanent guest at the local detention centre. His excuse is that Bikini asked him to keep an eye on Iris, but his true motives are to unearth the unknown history of one Dahlia Hawthorne. Set after T&T.
1. Chapter 1 Because I was Asked

**The Thorn on a Rose**

**Chapter I – Because I was Asked to**

_This…isn't going to work…_

Phoenix Wright stared helplessly at his assistant's younger cousin. Her arms were folded and she had a determined look on her face.

Again, he was struck by how much she looked like his former chief.

"Look, Pearls. I'm just going to pay a visit to the detention centre, it's nothing special…I promise!"

Pearl's eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time since they had met, she looked slightly menacing.

"Mr. Nick…you've been going to the detention centre almost every two days since after Mystic Maya came back to us…" She said slowly, and suddenly, to Phoenix's absolute horror, there were tears in her eyes.

"Don't you c-care about Mystic Maya anymore? She needs y-you!"

"B-But…Maya's got you, Pearls! And I just got to do some urgent work to do and…"

"You've been seeing Sister Iris." Pearl's voice was almost silent, but it felt like a slap to Phoenix.

_How long had she known?_

"Pearls…there's nothing going…ON between Iris and me. We're just friends, that's all."

The young spirit medium stared at him in the eyes with her own tear filled ones and drew a deep breath.

"Sister Iris has Sister Bikini to take care of her, you don't need to visit her so often."

"Pearls…"

"B-Besides…if you spend too much time with her, maybe her e-evil sister's spirit will s-somehow possess you…"

"Uh…I don't think that's really…"

"…follow you home and then go into Mystic Maya's body again…"

"Pearls, honestly that's not going to…"

"And take control of her!" She finally burst fully into tears and sobbed hysterically.

"What if it happens again?" She cried, her own beating heart feeling as if it would burst.

"I'm s-scared…and you k-keep leaving us b-behind and alone…"

"Oh, Pearl…" He finally used her real name for the first time in about two months and knelt to her level. Phoenix reached up a hand to pat her shivering head.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you saw it like that."

Pearl finally gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder.

"M-Mystic Maya's worried about you too…" She whimpered.

"She said it's f-fine for you to be seeing Sister Iris and c-comforting her…but she also said that she w-wished sometimes you would just sit down, talk to her, and spend time with her like you used to do…always…"

"Pearl, Iris is behind the detention centre glass, there is no way for her to physically reach me. So you can erase the thought of evil spirits coming to possess me from your mind completely." He said gently, and she finally calmed down a little.

"Furthermore, Sister Bikini's fallen ill from all the stress of the entire incident. She told me in person that she was extremely worried about Iris and needed someone to just go talk to her for the next couple of days."

"R-Really? S-Sister Bikini asked that you…" Pearl looked up at him and a relieved sigh escaped her lips.

"Y-You're only doing a favour for someone?"

"…Yes." Phoenix smiled at her, glad that she finally understood.

"You're not going over there because you feel…overly attached to her?"

"Of course not, she's my friend. That's the only relationship between us. I promise."

Pearl slowly let go of him and bowed her head low.

"I'm so sorry for doubting you, Mr. Nick." She whispered.

"H-Hey, it's no problem. Really…" He placed his hands softly on her skinny shoulders.

"Now, I know for sure that you really are Mystic Maya's knight in shining armour!" She said joyously and smiled brightly up at him.

"Er…sure…if that's how you want to interpret it."

"Now, Mr. Nick! I'll quickly go back you a lunchbox*, you'll be spending the lunch hour there, won't you?"

"Um, yes…thanks, Pearls!" He watched bemused as she ran quickly to the kitchen beside the office and open up the bridge to fetch out some cooked rice and vegetables.

"Since Sister Bikini needs you to do this for her, you need to say happy things to Sister Iris to cheer her up!" Pearl bustled around the cutlery table and carefully chopped up some cucumber, all worries of Iris and Phoenix being together forgotten.

Phoenix thanked her gratefully and gave his still full wallet a relieved pat as he received the finished lunchbox from her. At least he didn't have to spend any cash today.

_Maybe I can actually pay the rent on time this month._

He thought cheerfully as he gave Pearl a final wave and headed out the door.

*The Japanese make _obentos _or lunchboxes for meals. (Usually for lunch) They mainly contain rice with a few dishes of vegetables and meat, separated by the little rectangle containers within the lunchbox.

* * *

"I'm here to see Iris Hawthorne." He said politely to the officer in charge.

The policeman nodded at him, glancing quickly at his defense attorney badge that Maya had recently polished for him and showed him the way in.

Phoenix seated himself in the all too familiar detention centre chair and waited patiently.

After a minute or two, Iris was walked out by the same officer with a downcast expression, which lit up immediately when she saw who had come to see her.

"Mr.…Wright!" She exclaimed and sat herself down on the other side of the table.

"You're…here again?"

"Yeah…" Phoenix was aware that a strange sensation was churning through him. And he realized it was due to the fact the he had recently discovered who his once 'beloved Dollie' really was.

"Bikini's been very worried about you. So she asked me to visit you on a daily basis. Sorry I wasn't here yesterday…I was busy with other work…"

"No…it's no trouble at all!" Iris smiled warmly at him.

"Just having you here once a week is more than enough! I'm so grateful that you've forgiven me for everything I've done…"

Phoenix leaned across towards her and said in a serious tone.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Iris. You were being…controlled by…your sister."

He had almost addressed that woman with a very offensive word, but had decided against it to not hurt Iris' feelings.

"Th-Thank you…" She blinked several times to hastily clear the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

Phoenix noted how when Iris was emotionally distraught, all her behaviour was realistic and not done so at will like her sister had 'performed' it.

"Actually…today…I wanted to ask you about…_her_."

Iris suddenly froze and stared at him, though her body was shivering slightly, her eyes were unnaturally serious.

"By her…you mean my sister, don't you?" She said quietly.

"…Yes. Is that alright with you?"

Iris contemplated this for a while, and then drew a deep breath and managed a small smile.

Phoenix jumped slightly, amazed at how much it looked like the witch herself, only with black hair.

Her mind clicking into place as she came to the solution of her next murderous plot.

"It's fine, really." Iris arranged herself more comfortably in her seat and fixed him with a determined gaze.

"Ask me anything you wish to know."

"Your…family situation…what exactly happened that caused you to be separated from your mother?"

He was aware that he had picked a terrible topic to discuss first hand.

She didn't seem to be fazed by this question and closed her eyes to think.

"Well…it's a long story, actually. And one that I didn't think I'll ever tell again."

* * *

"Iris, is it true that you're leaving?"

"…! How did you…"

She flicked her long crimson hair out of her eyes and looked at her twin sister with an air of slight disappointment.

"Honestly, Iris. Mother wasn't exactly quiet about it when she told us we 'shouldn't exist'."

Iris stared at her in absolute horror and swallowed.

She wasn't sure what made her utter the next few words.

"She…never said that to me."

"…Oh really?"

Iris flinched and shrank back in fear. Her sister's eyes were almost piercing.

"D-Dahlia…" She finally managed to say her name.

"H-Have you taken your medication toda…"

"Don't you treat me like some patient in a mental health clinic!" The red head yelled and grabbed her sister by the robes and pulling her up to face her.

"D-Dahlia…p-please…" She choked, desperately trying to breathe.

After a few heartbeats, Dahlia finally let go of Iris and lowered her to the floor gently. She suddenly embraced her, and sobbed fitfully into her shoulder.

"I'm s-sorry…Iris…I don't know what I'm supposed to b-be doing anymore…" She wept.

"D-Dahlia…" Iris wrapped her arms tightly around her twin and rocked her gently back and forth.

"It's going to be alright, really, it is. I'll talk to Daddy tonight and maybe I'll be able to stay with you."

"Are we really that worthless? Are we r-really not meant to exist?"

"No…! Of course not, Mother only said that because she was having a really bad day and she was frustrated and…"

"Stop making excuses for her. She's not our mother…she…doesn't treat us like we were once a part of her."

Iris blinked, trying to comprehend what Dahlia was saying.

"Dahlia…I've got your medication in my room, under the pillow…do you want to go and…"

"Yeah…fine." She finally straightened up and took Iris' hand to pull her to her feet.

They walked together into the small bedroom and Dahlia silently pulled out the syringe.

"Doctors told me this doesn't hurt." She murmured as the needle-point sank in to her stomach area.

"They always lie."

**The Thorn on a Rose - Chapter I - End.**


	2. Chapter 2 Diagnosis

**Chapter II - Diagnosis**

"Hang on…so Dahlia was…ill?" Phoenix perked up, this was news to him.

"She had a chronic illness." Iris replied softly and looked slightly downcast.

"It was extremely worrying when she had a flare up."

"Flare up?"

"…When it got serious."

"Ah…" Phoenix scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"So she had to take daily meds for it?"

"Yes…there was no way for us to get the medicine into her other than have her inject herself twice each day. She got used to it in the end. But when she refused to take it, she would get very…violent."

"Violent?"

"I don't blame her at all!" Iris said suddenly, looking up and staring with intensity at Phoenix.

"It must have been so painful for her, and yet I couldn't do anything about it! She would start seeing hallucinations and feel as if there was something crawling inside her veins if she missed a single shot."

"That's…truly horrifying." Phoenix was aware that he had placed a hand to his mouth and was slightly hunched over.

"She would have a flare up if she was under any forms of stress or anxiety. This happened regularly when she was unable to display any sort of spiritual power when Mother asked her to summon a spirit. When Mother finally gave up on her, it did a miracle on Dahlia's health. But she was emotionally distraught…as she had been rejected by her own parent."

"You…can't channel spirits either, is that correct?" He swallowed slightly and straightened up once more.

"That's right…however, a magatama had been placed on both of our chests a few minutes after the two of us were born, and mine was the only one that glowed…which meant that I had some form of spirit channeling power, no matter how small and weak it is."

"I…see…So after that, you and her were separated, and then the so called 'murder' at Dusky Bridge occurred…"

"Yes…I was overjoyed to see my sister again. But I was horrified at how much she'd changed. She had stopped carrying her syringe around, and had resorted to taking tablets. But they were never good enough. Thus, she turned into someone who wasn't my beloved sister anymore."

Iris looked wounded and paused slightly.

"But I still loved her as my family and did everything I could to help her. I knew the reason she would feel horrible and sick towards the night and stopped her every time she itched away at her throat."

"Every time she…what?"

"She kept telling me there were parasites crawling in her neck veins." Phoenix's eyes widened slightly at the thought.

"She said it was so itchy and she couldn't bear it. And no matter how much medication she took, it still felt as if they were squirming away inside of her."

"Gosh…I'm sorry…I think I need to go and um…get some air." He managed weakly and stood up from his seat slowly.

"I completely understand." Iris smiled gently at him and rose up herself.

"You will be taking your leave then?"

"Yes…for today." He murmured and quickly fetched out a dark blue notebook and pen Maya had given to him for his last birthday.

"Is it alright with you if I take down the details for today…and also the name of the illness that your sister had?"

Iris was silent for a few heartbeats and Phoenix thought she would refuse him. So the surprise was plain on his face when she nodded and murmured quietly.

"_Peduncular hallucinosis."_

* * *

Phoenix couldn't sleep that night. His thoughts were filled with what Iris had told him this afternoon.

Before going to bed, Phoenix had spent much time researching on the internet about Dahlia's condition. It took him a while just to figure out how to pronounce the term.

He had taken the following notes in his notebook:

"_Peduncular hallucinosis is characterized by visual hallucinations that arise following an infarct of the midbrain. _

_It was originally described in 1922 by Lhermitte and has since been the topic of many case reports. _

_The hallucinations are thought to be a release phenomenon and often involve colorful, vivid scenes with people, animals, and other patterns._

_The visual hallucinations usually start within a few days of the initial insult and resolve within a few weeks, but they may last for years. _

_Each hallucination may last from minutes to hours, often occurring in the evening. _

_Patients eventually develop insight into their hallucinations, and they may find them interesting or amusing."_

The images that had come up from the research process were extremely gut wrenching to view. Most of them were depictions on the interpretations of the patient's hallucinations.

Phoenix could now finally understand a little amount of how Dahlia was driven insane and resorted to committing numerous murders.

Still, just because you have a medical condition, doesn't mean you can use it as an excuse to hurt others…

And with that thought, Phoenix sat up in bed and hurriedly grabbed his notebook from the bedside table and began quickly scribbling down the questions he wanted to ask Iris tomorrow.

Only after that could he finally fall into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"Hey, Nick? Are you going out again?" Maya stuck her head through the bedroom door and noticed he was putting on his jacket.

"Erm…yes, that's right…" He looked guiltily at his feet.

"I'm just going to get some information on the case I'm w-working on and…"

"Nick, you're not on any cases…and I heard from Pearly already that you were seeing Iris." Maya sighed and puffed out her cheeks like she usually did when she was annoyed at him.

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Phoenix now found it even harder to look into her eyes.

"…That's okay. I don't mind. Just make sure you be nice to her, okay?"

"Oh…sure thing." He blinked.

It was rare of Maya to sound so mature all of a sudden.

"Be sure to buy me burgers on the way back, don't forget!" And with that she ran out of the room with a slight giggle.

"And…she's back again." Phoenix sighed and found a grin creeping up to his face.

There was just no way to predict what her next move would be.


	3. Chapter 3 Nightmare

**Chapter III – Nightmare**

"_I love wearing white, you know." Dahlia gazed at the now still form of her step-sister with the sharp knife embedded deep into her back and leaned towards her twin with an almost mad smile tugging at her lips._

_She didn't even bother to wipe away the small marks of red that had sunk into her clothing during the momentary struggle from Valerie.  
_

_She licked her crimson fingers and chuckled softly.  
_

_Her eyes were slits.  
_

"_Why? Because it makes the blood stains of the people I kill show up all the clearer."_

"_Th-that's horrible…Dahlia…why…did you so something like this?" Iris could do nothing but whimper and froze altogether when her face suddenly grew unnaturally solemn._

"_Oh? You don't like it? You're choosing Mother's side now of all times? You think I'm a monster, don't you?" The red head hissed with malice and turned towards her slowly._

_Iris shuddered but was rooted to the ground as her twin came closer and closer to her._

"_Then…__**You deserve to die as well.**__"_

**"AHH!"** Iris jerked up with cold sweat still dripping freely from her brow.

And realised she was just sleeping in her cell.

It had been a nightmare.

Just... a nightmare.

Yet she could remember everything that had just occurred in graphic detail.

"Miss Iris? Is everything alright in there?" The police officer that patrolled the grounds at night peeked in through the small opening of the barred door.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine, sir." She managed weakly.

"J-Just hit my head, that's all."

"Oh, I see. Well keep it down in there, we have other prisoners who can get very agitated over such a ruckus." He said stonily and then disappeared from view.

"Of c-course. I'm very sorry." Iris murmured, not sure why she was being so polite.

Probably out of habit, she guessed.

She had had no real talent in anything when she was young, and discovered the only way to get people to accept her was to be as pure as she could be.

Dahlia had been similar, except she went down the wrong path of purity.

"**Pure?"** She had said.

"**Can't you see that I am pure, Iris? I am… pure evil."**

Iris shivered.

She had meant it as a joke, the nun had tried to convince herself.

Only a joke.

But it slowly became reality as Dahlia murdered more and more people.

All to cover up one small scandal that had gone too far.

And at that moment.

Iris couldn't come up with a good reason as to why she stuck with Dahlia through thick and thin.

"Maybe it's just because we're fated to be that way. We are twins after all. Two halves of the same person… right?" She mumbled to no one in particular and curled into a shivering ball.

A thought crossed her mind, and she couldn't help but utter.

"…What if Dahlia didn't exist? Then who would I be?"

* * *

"_**If you didn't exist, Iris. Then you realise that I probably wouldn't be so frail?"**_

"_**Wh-what? D-Dahlia…you don't want me to…?"**_

"_**No. That's not what I meant… Forget it."**_

"_**Okay…U-um, Dahlia. You shouldn't forget your parasol, it's quite sunny out there."**_

"_**I know that. I didn't want to bring it this time."**_

"…_**! But Dahlia! Then you would…!"**_

"_**I'm sensitive to UV Rays, I am overly frail, I see hallucinations, I don't have any channeling ability, and I am unloved… How much more worse could my life get?"**_

* * *

Back then, Iris couldn't offer her any proper comfort because she didn't know the answer to the question.

And she noted that even now.

Even when her sister was dead.

She still couldn't think of why the life of Dahlia Hawthorne had been so cursed from the day of her birth.


End file.
